Google commemorates pioneer Filipina writer Paz Marquez-Benitez on her 129th birthday
Google Doodle pays tribute to Filipina writer Paz Marquez-Benitez, who is celebrating her 129th birthday this March 3.
To honor her pioneering works in Philippine literature, Google has created a temporary alteration of its logo on its homepage, showing the Filipina writer against a backdrop of a night sky.
The drawing also features a field of shining stars, reminiscent of her most prominent work, Dead Stars—the first-ever Filipino modern short story written in the English language.
“Google Philippines is proud to honor an important figure in Philippine literature, Paz Marquez-Benitez," said Mervin Wenke, Head of Communications and Public Affairs for Google Philippines.
"Our rich literary heritage would definitely not be the same today without Marquez-Benitez’s impactful contributions, not only with her creations, but also with her valuable mentorship of a long line of writers in the country."
Having a degree in Liberal Arts, Marquez-Benitez served as a writing professor at the University of the Philippines (UP) until 1951. She also served as the editor of the Philippine Educational Magazine and the Women’s Home Journal, the country’s first women’s magazine.
Marquez-Benitez is also one of the founders of Philippine Women’s University along with six other women, including her sister-in-law, Francisca Benitez, forging a path to the advancement of Women's education at that time.